How do you thin a water based interior house paint?

Question

my paint is about two years old (was unopened) but is very thick even after stirring. how can i thin it??

Answer 1

You can thin it with water but be varrrrry sparing with the water.  Better yet, just stir it a whole lot more.  If you must add water, 1/4 cup to a US gallon should be plenty.  Since the can was sealed, it is unlikely that it lost much liquid.  Still, I know that older paint can get pretty thick in the bottom.  If you own an electric drill, you might consider buying one of the paint mixers that fit in the drill.  I have one and it certainly saves a lot of work mixing paint and other thick stuff.

By the way, in future if you have a sealed older can of paint that you plan to use , I have found that storing it upside down for a few days before opening it makes the mixing job a whole lot easier.

Answer 2

Add water and stir after every 1/4 cup or so.  If it was me I would take it to the store where you bought it and let them put it back on their mixer for you if it's too hard to mix.  They won't mind.  I needed to thin some to use in a sprayer and probably added a cup or more and I really couldn't tell any difference in the color of the paint and the consistency wasn't really all that much thinner.

Answer 3

It is real easy,use water......add a little each time until it is the right consistency.